breaking down the Norman Fucking Rockwell! album cover.
"How did we get here? When did the unassuming, plaintive Lizzy Grant of yesteryear become the madcap, pastiche, mononymous LDR of 2019? That the album is titled Norman Fucking Rockwell! in the first place is peak Lana Del Rey. The album art represents her obsession with American popular culture overflowing with a romanticization of a country that never really existed, expressed through comic book-style typography, yet another Kennedy reference, and Jack Nicholson’s grandson. It would be unfair to deem the album a parody of itself, since that would infer a self-awareness that hints toward the insincere and ironic. The truth is, Del Rey has never been disingenuous about anything she does, and this is her at her most heartfelt, her most zealous, her most confident. Is is diabolical? Is it avant-garde? Is it camp? It appears to be all of the above."- interviewmagazine
the sky is painted, the painting theme has been mentioned more than once in the album, also the name of the album is about the American artist Norman Rockwell; most of his works were during the 40s, 50s, 60s., the Americana theme and the American flag are so present in Norman's works,
as the sound of the record is influenced by the 60s surf music, the album cover is similar and could by inspired by The Beach Boys album cover of Summer days (and summer nights), The Beach Boys peaked in the 60s.
Lana’s neon colored outfits and nails, are a reference to Fuck it, I love you lyrics, ”I like to see everything in neon”
the font used is a pop art/comics font that was very popular during the 40s, the 50s and the 60s.
we see the fires, and the land burning from behind Lana, it is about California's fires, and also a reference to The Greatest.
we see the American flag behind Lana, and Lana glorifies the Americana theme, and she uses it/ used it so much this era (Norman Rockwell, pop art, The Beach Boys, it is all inspired by 60s that was an amazing cultural decade for America)
Lana’s in a boat, and her position means she is
giving help, and it a reference to Mariners Apartment Complex, “You
lose your way, just take my hand You're lost at sea, then I'll command your
boat to me again”
Who is the guy in the cover with Lana? And why
is he there?
The guy in the cover is Duke Nicholson, he is the grandson of the great American actor Jack Nicholson, Jack’s big break came with the movie easy-rider (1969), and Lana mentioned the easy-rider theme more than once in the songs Forever Angels, Freak and in the music video of Ride.
Jack played the role of a shore patrol and a signalman in the movie The Last Detail (1973), based on a 1969 novel of the same name by Darryl Ponicsan.
“Signalman was a U.S. Navy rating for sailors that specialized in visual communication” – Wikipedia.
maybe the role of Duke Nicholson in the cover is to portray a signalman and a shore patrol like his grandfather in the movie? It also suits the theme and the vibes of the cover
Jack Nicholson in The Last Detail (1973)
Jack also played a role in the movie One Flew over Cuckoo’s Nest (1975) based on a 1962 novel with the same title written by Ken Kesey.
“One Flew over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962) is a novel written by Ken Kesey. set in an Oregon psychiatric hospital, the narrative serves as a study of institutional processes and the human mind as well as a critique of behaviorism and a tribute to individualistic principles” – Wikipedia.
does this remind us of something?
well there’s the monologue from the NFR album trailer:
“The greatest journey is the journey of the mind since this is what determines the journey of life. Have you ever had the feeling that your mind is on a journey? A voyage of discovery? That sometimes it has to make long passages on dark, uncharted seas? And at other times it discovers bright islands of beauty or of truth. Islands it will know from this day forward, that it can always steer for and find in the storm while the gales of life blow themselves out and the enormous seas of misfortune, or pain, or sorrow, or doubt subside in the calm. Well, if you'll come, I'd like to take you with me on such a voyage of the mind.”
in one of the scene from the movie, Jack's character is in a boat, and in the boat there is a female character that wears green, the same as Lana in the NFR cover!
Jack in the boat with the lady in green, the lady in green’s character name is Candy, the character Lana played in the music video of Carmen is Candy B
a conclusion: Lana and Duke in the cover portray the help; they are there to help those who are lost in the sea of doubts, to take them in a journey of mind, to help them discover themselves. And it comes as a picture of them helping those who are running from California's fires to get into the boat, the cover itself pays homage to the 40s, the 50s and especially the 60s.
Comments
Post a Comment